VALLETTA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Malta's population increased by 13.8 percent in 2016, which is the third largest growth across the EU, official data published by Eurostat revealed on Monday.
In total, the population of the EU increased by 3 percent to 1.5 million in 2016.
Malta's population grew by 5,600 throughout 2016, bringing its total number to around 440,400.
The increase is attributed not only to net migration but also the birth rate which surpassed the death rate. Totally 4,476 babies were born in Malta last year, significantly more than the 3,342 people who died.
Eurostat figures indicated that the largest relative increase was in Luxembourg with 19.8 percent, and Sweden with 14.5 percent.
In contrast, the largest decrease was recorded in Lithuania with -14.2 percent.
